Alex van Someren

Bio

Alex left school to join Acorn Computers in the 1980s, where he was extensively involved in the BBC Microcomputer project. He subsequently co-founded ANT Ltd in 1990 to produce networking products, including Web Browser software licensed to the Oracle Corporation. ANT plc was listed on the London AIM market (AIM:NCH) in 2005 and is now positioned in the embedded software market for IPTV. In 1996 he co-founded nCipher with venture capital backing to develop internet security products using advanced cryptography. The company became a world leader in IT security, counting major banks, finance companies and governments among its customers. He subsequently raised a total of £14 million in venture capital funding before he led the company to a listing on the London Stock Exchange in 2000 (LSE:NCH) at a £350 million valuation. nCipher plc was sold to Thales SA in 2008. He was appointed an Entrepreneur in Residence at the Judge Business School, University of Cambridge in 2005. He is an active member of the local entrepreneurial community, the current Chairman of the Prince’s Trust in Cambridgeshire and a Governor of King’s College School, Cambridge.